Hi. New member here, though I've lurked about here and there. My name is Jack.
I'm having a purpose-built shop erected in our backyard. The construction is contracted to a local guy for reasons of efficiency, my increasingly wobbly spine, and the hope of getting it together before the 22nd century. Comments are invited -- requested, in fact -- because while I've been daydreaming about dedicated shop spaces for years, I'm solidly sure that I haven't thought of everything (and some of what I have thought of, I've probably forgotten).
I build furniture, small projects, "TIs" for our house, outdoor garden stuff (trellises, planters, gates, etc.); also turn bowls. I'm a little gimpy and VERY slow and inefficient -- just ask my sweetie!
GENERAL CONSTRUCTION:
The shop's footprint sits at 24 W x 26 L and that won't be changing, as the stem walls are now poured. It's about the biggest I can legally get away with on this property, and I think it'll host my projects adequately if I can keep it organized. Four-inch slab on grade over compacted crushed rock. The walls will rise 12' high over the stem walls (which will add about a foot and a half). Stick-framed on 2x6 under moderate-pitch trusses.
Six-foot "driveway" in front to give a little extra working room on nice days.
Couple of windows and a fiberglass walking door in the long side, with a 16' high-lift garage door across the front. Studs are 2X6 with rock wool insulation and James Hardie siding. The walking door will be a 3-0, 6-8 RH outswing, to preserve wall and floor space on the interior.
Roof will be laminated architectural shingles to approximately match the house.
A storage loft is planned to go across the back (i.e. straight back from the garage door) that will be eight feet AFF at its bottom.
Dry shop, as water is impractical for several reasons.
ELECTRICAL:
Ground conduit runs 4-ga. wire to a 100A Square D QO subpanel with GFCI/AFCI breakers. All 120VAC circuits (including lights, in case I want to tap them) will be 20A over 12/2 yellow Romex. The 240V circuits will run on 10/2 orange Romex and 30A breakers. Some of the circuits are:
==> Two interior lighting circuits
==> One circuit for exterior lighting and outlets (2 ea. quads)
==> Garage door opener circuit
==> Split outlet in ceiling for 120V drop cord reel and air filter
==> 120V tool circuit (2 ea.)
==> 240V tool circuit (2 ea.)
The tool circuits will run around the walls at 48" AFF. The 120V outlets will daisy-chain both circuits into eight quad boxes (deep boxes with 47 c.i. because my fingers are getting clumsier and weaker), such that each box has a duplex outlet from circuit "A" and one from circuit "B"."
The 240V circuits will alternate outlets between the "A" and "B" circuits. If I ever get an itch to run a TIG welder (doubtful, but possible), that outlet will get its own breaker and be located very close to the load center, the better to shorten its run of Very Expensive Wire. One of the 240V circuits will terminate in the ceiling to allow a drop cord at this voltage.
LIGHTS:
Four rows of 3 ea., 8-foot LED fixtures running front-to-back, plus two rows of same running side-to-side on the underside of the loft (these will also have a pair of heater boxes on them). Task lighting as required, from tool circuits.
ROUGH FINISHES:
We'll tile the shop floor with horse stall mats from the ag co-op.
Eight feet up from the stem walls will be covered by vertical sheets of 1/2" ACX screwed (not nailed) to the studs, with French cleats. Haven't decided whether to panel higher than that.
APPROXIMATE TOOL POPULATION of FLOOR HOGS:
JET air filter (overhead)
1.5 h.p. Delta d.c. with a garbage can separator
SawStop 3 h.p. "Pro" with a router table in the extension leaf
3' by 22" rolling toolbox/outfeed
Hand tool bench ~7.5' x 27"
Utility bench ~2' x 8' for sharpening station and benchtop tools
JET 15" planer
Delta 6" jointer (not extra-long tables)
Generic Taiwanese drill press
Mid-sized rollaway tool chest
Hitachi "double hot dog" compressor
JET 12" disk/48" belt sander on a tool cart
Rikon 18" bandsaw
Record Power CL3-48 lathe ("Old Blue")
General floor-standing mortiser
Alaskan mill & Stihl 044 (25" bar)
Possibly a large boomstick safe
Workmate and horses
Stool
SHELF HOGS and DRAWER LINERS:
Several boxes of FESTOOL stuff plus a CT-36 droid vac
A fair assortment of Kreg pocket hole stuff
Lion-style miter trimmer
Moderate copse of levels
Probably 30-odd chisels
Couple doz. hammers and mallets
Nail guns, worm drive, Sawzall, etc.
B.O.S.S. spindler, Delta scroller, three grinders/buffers, Tormek
Around three totes' worth of sentimental hand tools
A doz. or so handsaws of various types
Probably 40 handplanes
A few jigs
I know it's too much stuff to jam into ~600 s.f. without stumbling over things, but I plan to enjoy trying to whip it into shape. I figure, worst case scenario is it'll add about as much value to our little house as it costs (not an illusion I want dispelled; thanks).
Suggestions -- especially suggestions about efficient use of wall storage -- are gratefully considered.
Thanks!
Cheers,
Jack